MIDIbox of the Week (Reaktor Controllers made by Dmitttri)

[T.K]

Dmitrije Dinic aka. Dmitttri created a really professional looking MIDI controller system for Reaktor based on MIDIbox Plus and a self-developed Atmel based MIDI Controller.

Note that it can handle with LDR sensors as well!

He wrote:

First thing is that my project contains

• two midibox units (Brother based on your Midibox 16 project , and Sister

based on my Atmel midi

  implemantation serving only buttons (up to 128)

-  some simple electronics serving two LDR sensors, coverting light

intensity to 0-5V attached to

  Brother

-  Reaktor 5.0 instrument develped specialy for live acts, handlig tons of

samples (loops, vocals, fx,    bass lines and etc). The midi boxes was

growing along as my instrument gets more complex.

Basicaly, Brother is host for all electronis (PIC, ATMEL and Keyborad

controller ) and Sister is just button box connected to Brother. The idea

for Light Dependant Resistor use originate from Theremin idea, but these two

LDR’s can control any desired Reaktor parametar (pitch or Resonant filter

for example)

I consider Reaktor as most important detail, as it’s capabilities to develop

your own music applications pulled me up towards midibox work. Without any

line of complex C++ code, there is full ocean of ideas that can become

reality with this “state of the art” tool. I think thar MaxMSP is the same

category.

Thanks to your great work, shared to all people intrested in, i spent many

days enyoing midiboxes in action, even did some of my own midi embedded

experiments

Right now, i am in experimentig with Ethernet controllers, trying to put my

hand on OSC protocol, moved by device called LEMUR i founded on

cycling74.com site. As soon as i get some results i’ll be happy to share it

with anybody intrested in such topics.

Thanks again Thorsten, and keep up!

“Brother”:

“Sister”:

Inside “Brother”:

LDR Sensor:

Usage for LDR Sensor:

Reaktor Instrument:

[stryd_one]

Nice work Dmittri!!

[AndrewMartens]

Very well done!  I bet you put on a crazy live show as you stretch those LDRs towards the lights… “There are four lights!”

[dmitttri]

Thanks for support, the whole point is the idea interchange.

Yes, as you approach with LDR to light source, the control voltage swings 0-5V.

Sensitivity is adjustable, with knob (note the LDR sensor picture), in order to avoid offset in existing ambient light. Active range is about 30 cm.

In Reaktor instrument, ther is the field labeled SENSOR ROUTER, so the LDR action is to be attached to various parameters ( apart form Loop rack parameters (pithc, volume), there is synth working in the backcround). Heavy atmos are preseted on Brother ( upper right on Brother picture). As there are 2 LDR’s and two lamps, synth is controlled as LEFT HAND - pitch, RIGHT HAND - volume. So this is something like THEREMIN.

Speaking about hands in action, i thinh that some manufacturers introduced ultrasonic distance meters, for 0-5V voltage generation. There is also electrostatic implementation ( like Theremin ).

If there is any intrest, i’ll post the schematic for LDR’s. It’s simple OP AMP circuit, and some discrete electronics.

Also i could offer help for pepole who want to experiment with Reaktor. Note that for reasonable performance, you’ll need low latency soundcard (mine is MAYA44 USB, with 3ms input, and 4ms output latency), minimun 10ms.

Regards

Dmitttri

[Sasha]

Dimitrije Dini? - ti si neki naš?

Nice, dedicated Brother and sister. Really good panel design. Too bad it is not screenprint or engraveing. Congratulations!

[dmitttri]

Pa da, BG, vidim ima nas samo par ( ti, rogic). Evo mail, jer nije red da ovde koristimo domacicu.

dmitttri@hotmail.com

There is always tradeoff, printed paper and some glue did the job, not the most elegant as well. Bro&SIs are rahter experimental. With some new ideas ( figerpads, LEDS, more sensors) a bit advanced design could be possible.

[Mr_modnaR]

There is always tradeoff, printed paper and some glue did the job, not the most elegant as well. Bro&SIs are rahter experimental. With some new ideas ( figerpads, LEDS, more sensors) a bit advanced design could be possible.

a light source set in the palm, and LDRs on the end of each finger?

[dmitttri]

LDR mounted on fingers could sound interesting, but the sesitivity and dead zone (amount of light when note is not to be triggered) problems will arise for sure.

Fingerpads, like presure sensitive drum pads for playing rythm patterns. This is the spot i miss in my current configuration, also with LED’s i omitted due to simplier design. (MidiBox Plus is old-old, and so the Bro&Sis, before MIOS)

More sensors, like piezo elements or IR pairs (diode and photodiode), to add more “move converted to sound”  capabilities.

Lack of free time, unfortuneatly, is killing all my DIY enthusiasm.

[kokiPsiho]

Ima nas vise 

[stryd_one]

Lack of free time, unfortuneatly, is killing all my DIY enthusiasm.

Oh dude that’s a damn shame. DIY is great, but typical human impatience gets to us sometimes. Fight it mate, fight it! A midibox is still a midibox if it takes you all year

[Sasha]

DIY is great, but typical human impatience gets to us sometimes

I made most of mistakes just because impatiance. Once I connected oputput wires to the power suply. It wasnt funny to me than cause I fried everything but now…  ;D ;D ;D

I think we all have lack of time but one should find an hour a day for himself (MB)! If I managed to solder just wire bridges on DOUT in one day, I am satisfied. Sleep less, solder more!

[stryd_one]

I think we all have lack of time but one should find an hour a day for himself (MB)!

Thanks Sasa, that’s good advice that I should certainly take. I deserve at least a small break (MB) every now and then ;D

[dmitttri]

Hm, MIDIBOXtacky Fried Chicken.

Even most robust PIC and AVR can end up the serving table, along with french fries.

From personal expirience, and it’s so common.

I am not giving up, just thinking about some active substances to keep me up and running.

NEXT STEP:  Eight touch pads, and Reaktor implemented Drum machine runnung in sync with rest of loop racks. So you can live tap some rythmic patterns.

But some questions appears, about the way to implement it:

• As controller message with walue that corresopnds to the pressure applied, and Reaktor to detect change and triggers NoteOn with velocity proportional to contreoller value.

• A dedicated Mcu just scanning eight voltages, and transmitting NoteOn with velocity proportional to the pressure. I think that this is faster way to go.

I’ll find the time, no doubt

Redgards

[bosone]

great work…

just some question… can you share the design of the LDR schematic?

i don’t quite understand if the LDR sensor are just variable resistors which maximum rate is 10K or if they need some sort of adaptation to midibox…

when can i bought them and how much did you pay for them??

thanks!!

[tos]

Ako ?emo se ve? ovde sakupiti, ajd, ja sam iz Novog Sada.

Nice boxes dimitrii, I’m very interested in touch pads, would like to have some info on what you’ve done by now.

[dmitttri]

Sorry for some delay in answering.

Of course, i’ll post this simple schematic. Yes it’s Light Dependant Resistor (LDR), mine is 1.6K exposed to weak light, and around 0.1K when extremly lighted (near 10W Halogen bulb). And the response is smooth when moving towards the light.

So you’ll need OP amp circuitary, to convert this resistance change to 0-5V. I know that i’am not using optimal solution but it works. In attachement is jpg shematic.

This is basically current to voltage converter, with null offset triming in order to reject existing ambience light. Resistor 1.2k is responsable for sensitivity, and to be changed with LDR working in other resistance ranges than 0.1.- 1.5K. Shotky diode (0.2 V dropout) is mandatory, because negative voltages does strange things to MIDI remoted software. I use two 9V batteries and 7905 to obtain -5V. And this design is is not power saving one, this was just fastest way to connect LDR-s. Vout is to be connected instead any MIDIBOX pot (akka analog in).

Good luck with experimenting.

Regards

PS. Vidim ima nas jos :)) , evo mail dmitttri@hotmail.com pa se mozda i vidimo, ja studirao u NS-u… svracam ponekad

[dmitttri]

For now, i am experimentig with FSR (force sensing resistors) as touch sensitive devices. As they are hard to obtain, and bit pricey. I think of my own DIY FSR-s, but this is at the bare beginning, There is few different materials to try, so i can decide if it’s worht putting some effort.

Piezo devices could do the job, but i did’nt try.

FSR-s could be found on Electrotrap site, and not from standard suppliers (Farnell, Schukat, Digikey etc…)

Regards

[Mr_modnaR]

For now, i am experimentig with FSR (force sensing resistors) as touch sensitive devices. As they are hard to obtain, and bit pricey. I think of my own DIY FSR-s, but this is at the bare beginning, There is few different materials to try, so i can decide if it’s worht putting some effort.

Piezo devices could do the job, but i did’nt try.

FSR-s could be found on Electrotrap site, and not from standard suppliers (Farnell, Schukat, Digikey etc…)

Regards

they’re really not hard to make, a guy on mpc-forums is upgrading the sub-standard FSRs on the MPC1000 to military grade. here’s the link:

http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=61783

you may need to join the site to view the thread, i’m not sure. in actual fact i believe the guy joined here, perhaps he can be enticed out from his frankenstein’s lair???

[haris]

Yes yes, ima nas svuda

I did a lot of work in Reaktor, building my own ensambles, synths, modules… it is amazing software…

Learning about this stuff here and just about to make my first Midibox…

Great work Dimitri, really like your creation… will email you!

Haris